SHAH ALAM: Enforcement officers from the Selangor Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry detained a tanker driver when he spent up to an hour fuelling up at a petrol station here.
In Ops Tiris 5.0 last Wednesday, the authorities detained the 50-year-old tanker driver, along with two Bangladeshi petrol station workers for further investigation.
State enforcement chief, Mohd Shahran Mohd Arshad, said the raid was carried out following periodic surveillance on 'hot areas' to curb diesel subsidy abuse.
"When the enforcement team arrived and staked out the gas station, it observed the driver spending up to an hour fuelling up. Inspections revealed modifications to the tanker's body and structure.
"We believe these modifications are for the purpose of smuggling subsidised fuel to be sold for profit," he said in a statement today.
Mohd Shahran said further investigations revealed that the driver had conducted 12 transactions at the same pump.
"We also cross-checked this with receipts issued through the gas station's system and found that it involved thousands of litres of fuel," he said.
He added instructions to declare stock and submit documents under Section 8 of the Control of Supply Act 1961 were issued to the tanker driver and petrol station personnel on the same day.
Mohd Shahran said that the three individuals – the tanker driver and two Bangladeshi workers in their 30s – were detained for questioning, while the tanker and fuel were seized, along with other documents.
"The amount of fuel in this case, suspected to be diesel, is around 10,000 litres. The estimated total value of the seizure is RM500,000," he said.
The case is being investigated under the Control of Supply Act 1961.